Weigh-in (success) and an update, but no cookies

This week: -0.9
Total: -11.5

Not bad. Really, not bad at all. I'm not going to make my Thanksgiving challenge, but I'm still losing and that's the point. No Gourmet Cookies this week or last, it's all about Thanksgiving. Frankly, that has me pretty stressed out so I'm not holding myself to extra high expectations regarding weight.

I could go on at length here about the family stress that is Thanksgiving, but I'm just not going to blog that much about my personal life. At least not the seriously neurotic parts of my personal life. If I write THOSE stories I'm going to publish a book and make a gazillion dollars and sell the movie rights to Matt Damon who can play my ex-husband. But I digress...

I will say that I've finished some cool Christmas knitting and craft projects, but I can't post pictures because the gift recipients' mother reads this blog and I don't want to ruin the surprise. I'm also getting close to finishing a pair of socks for my son. They are special toe-socks that can be worn with flip-flops, the footwear of choice around these parts. I'm nearly done with my Christmas shopping, and that brings me great pride and even more relief.

I've been reading like a fiend lately. I'm working my way through The World is Flat which is highly readable since Friedman is a journalist, but also very meaty (to me) so must be taken in small bites. This book is referenced in so many other books and articles that I decided I need to know what it says to understand the context of discussions about The World We Live In. It's very interesting and I highly recommend it.

I'm also working my way through The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need--and What We Can Do About It. Not because I'm unhappy with my child's education this year, but because I want to understand the educational paradigms that influence my child's education over the next 12 years. Next up on this topic is 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times. My kiddo's (expensive private) school is all about 21st Century Skills and I really don't know what those are.

I flew through The Cardturner by Louis Sachar this weekend, mostly to see if I wanted to give it to someone as a gift for Christmas. I do and I will, and it was a great read if you're even remotely interested in young adult literature (Sachar is an amazing storyteller) or the game of bridge. This book tells a wonderful story in its own right, but it's also a loving ode to the game of bridge.

Lastly, I finished The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie just last night. It's also shelved in young adult literature, but Alexie is such a great writer that this story can be enjoyed by anyone. It's narrated by Junior, a 14 year old Spokane Indian, and illustrated with Junior's cartoons about life and the people around him.

So my dear friends, I wanted to give you the weigh-in stats and a little update about what I'm doing besides baking cookies. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!